McIvor, Patterson end waiting game with victory in Abilene Christian football debuts

Maverick McIvor and Keith Patterson both know about waiting.

McIvor, a 2019 San Angelo Central grad, spent three years at Texas Tech before transferring to Abilene Christian in January.

The 6-3 quarterback never played in a college game before getting the start for the Wildcats on Thursday night. He threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-14 victory over Lamar in the season opener at Wildcat Stadium.

It was quite a moment for McIvor, considered a sophomore because of an injury in 2019, plus a COVID-19 year from 2020.

“It was awesome,” said McIvor, the son of former Texas quarterback Rick McIvor, who played for the Longhorns from 1978-83. “It felt, I mean, words can’t even describe how good it feels to be out there. Man, I love football so much. I’ve loved it, and I’ve played it ever since I was so small, and I finally got the opportunity to do what I do. I really love it.”

McIvor spread some of that love around. He threw a 30-yard TD pass to Kendall Catalon and a 6-yarder to Sweetwater grad Kobe Clark.

Catalon, a senior transfer from Arkansas, also had a 37-yard TD run on a reverse to break a 14-14 tie with 1:54 left in the first half. The Mansfield Legacy grad finished with a game-high seven catches for 119 yards.

“That’s my guy,” Ivor said. “Roommate at home. Really good dude. Really good player. I think that’s going to go a long way during the season.”

Patterson shares special moment

Then there was Patterson, a longtime assistant who got his first collegiate head coaching job at 57, when he came to ACU in December.

He was 58 when he celebrated his first win with the Wildcats.

Yet Patterson didn’t bask in the moment. Instead, he shone the spotlight on his coaching staff and players, along with those who came before him at ACU.

“Obviously, it’s a great honor,” said Patterson, an assistant at Texas Tech the previous three years. “No. 1, just to be the head football coach here. I have such great respect for the men who came before me from Tonto Coleman to Wally Bullington. I read all their stories. Chris Thomsen. I have just great respect. Dewitt Jones. All those men who laid the foundation for us to be able to build on everything that’s happened before.

"We’re just looking to move forward with our program.”

Off and running

The Patterson era started with a bang.

ACU drove 75 yards on 12 plays to get a TD on the game’s opening drive. Anthony Smith capped it with an 11-yard TD run.

The score came a play after McIvor was sacked and fumbled, but offensive lineman Reese Moore picked up the football and ran 15 yards to the Lamar 11-yard line.

Lamar, however, answered with two big plays for a 14-7 lead.

Mike Chandler threw TD passes of 59 and 75 yards to Jalen Dummett and Sevonne Rhea, respectively. The latter came with 64 seconds left in the first quarter.

Patterson didn’t panic – nor did his team. Patterson said he had talked about such a situation during chapel earlier in the day.

“I said, ‘Look, at some point in this game you’re going to be tested with fire. It’s how we respond,’” Patterson said. “And how we responded? Nobody flinched. That was what I was looking to see. Are we truly disciplined?”

ACU came back to take the lead on the two Catalon TDs, and the Wildcats newcomer was a catalyst the entire night.

“You could just tell from the first day that both of those guys stepped on campus they had chemistry,” Patterson said of McIvor and Catalon. “They worked extremely hard.

“I go back to days in the summertime when it was well over 100 degrees and I come up here at noon Saturday and they’re out there in the middle of the field throwing and catching. That’s what it takes to win and establish that chemistry.”

The Wildcats pushed their lead to 28-14 as McIvor threw a 6-yard TD pass to Clark with 10:49 left in the game.

Clark, who is chasing ACU's all-time receptions record, finished with six catches for 71 yards.

ACU offense, defense shines in win

The Wildcats rolled up 444 total yards, including 186 rushing as seven different players ran the ball. Rovaughn Banks led ACU with 69 yards on 18 carries.

Lamar had 272 total yards with 134 of that coming on the two TD passes. The Cards had just 68 yards rushing and seven first downs. Lamar played a season in the Western Athletic Conference with ACU last season, before returning to the Southland Conference this year.

It was quite a win for an ACU with several players such as McIvor and Catalon, who transferred after getting little to no playing time in their previous stops.

“That’s kind what creates the unknown going into the game is, yeah, we’ve got some talent, but a lot of them didn’t get the opportunity wherever they were for whatever reason,” Patterson said. “I believe in all those guys, and we’re going to get better and better as the season goes.”

It’s ACUs first season-opening win since beating Concordia (Alabama) 84-6 at Shotwell Stadium in 2014. The Wildcats began the next eight seasons against Division I-FBS foes on the road, including SMU last year in a 59-6 loss.

NONCONFERENCE

ACU 28, Lamar 14

FIRST QUARTER

ACU − Anthony Smith 11 run (Blair Zepeda kick), 10:24

LAM − Jalon Dummett 50 pass from Mike Chandler (Chris Esqueda kick), 9:07

LAM − Sevonne Rhea 75 pass from Chandler (Esqueda kick), 1:04

SECOND QUARTER

ACU − Kendall Catalon 30 pass from Maverick McIvor (Zepeda kick), 12:49

ACU − Catalon 37 run (Zepeda kick), 1:54

FOURTH QUARTER

ACU − Kobe Clark 6 pass from McIvor (Zepeda kick) 10:49

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Lamar, Khalan Griffin 8-39, Mike Chandler 5-16, Damashja Harris 8-13, Major Bowden 1-3, Daelyn Williams 1-(minus 3). ACU, Rovaughn Banks 18-69, Anthony Smith 10-65, Kendall Catalon 1-37, Reese Moore 0-15, Jeremiah Dobbins 2-3, Peyton Mansell 2-1, Maverick McIvor 8-(minus 1), Team 3-(minus 3).

PASSING: Lamar, Chandler 8-24-0−204. ACU, McIvor 22-38-0−258, Mansell 0-1-0−0.

RECEIVING: Lamar, Sevonne Rhea 3-113, Major Bowden 2-11, Jalen Dummett 1-59, Jeremy Davis 1-16, Khalan Griffin 1-5. ACU, Catalon 7-119, Kobe Clark 6-71, Tristan Golightly 3-43, Smith 2-11, Banks 1-7, Blayne Taylor 1-6, Davion Johnson 1-3, Colt Cooper 1-(minus).

RECORDS: Lamar 0-1, Abilene Christian 1-0.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Christian begins Patterson era with victory over Lamar